Utah Senate leaders say there is a strong possibility that any bills dealing with same sex marriage or gay rights won’t be considered by the body this session.
Sen. Steve Urquhart, R - St. George, is once again trying to run a bill that would protect LGBT people from housing and work discrimination throughout the state. Last year the anti-discrimination bill made it further than it ever had when it passed out of a Senate committee. But Senate President Wayne Neiderhauser says this year it is unlikely that it will even be looked at.
“And the basis behind maybe a cooling off or moratorium or whatever you want to call it a non-discussion of those bills this session is, we don’t want to interfere with the appeals process,” he says.
The appeals process Neiderhauser is referring to is the state’s appeal of a federal ruling that struck down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriages. Sen. Urquhart says, even with those comments from Neiderhauser, he hopes that he’ll be able to work with Senate leaders to make sure his bill gets heard.
“I think that they’re very good leaders," Urquhart says. "The majority of the people in this state want this bill to pass and I think that we are a body that is responsive to the will of the people and I think that suggests that we should run this bill and pass it.”
SB 100 is currently in the Senate Rules Committee. They will decide if it will be considered by the Senate or first sent to another committee for further debate.
